Ontario passes legislation to improve road safety

The act aims to ensure the province’s roads are among safest in North America

Fines for distracted driving to be increased

Ontario has passed the Making Ontario’s Roads Safer Act to help ensure that the province’s roads are among the safest in North America.

In order to reduce collisions, injuries and fatalities on Ontario’s roads, the new act will:

Increase fines for distracted driving from the current range of $60 to $500 to a range of $300 to $1,000, assigning three demerit points upon conviction, and escalating sanctions on convictions for novice drivers

Apply current alcohol-impaired sanctions to drivers who are drug impaired

Allow a broader range of qualified medical professionals to identify and report medically unfit drivers and, clarify the types of medical conditions to be reported

The new fines and measures will come into force over the coming months. The new legislation builds on action that the province has already taken to improve road safety, including making booster seats mandatory, ensuring every person wears a seatbelt, introducing the Graduated Licensing System for novice drivers, establishing stiffer penalties for aggressive driving and excess speeding, bringing in tougher impaired driving laws, and banning hand-held devices while driving.

Ensuring Ontario’s roads and highways are safe is part of the government’s economic plan for Ontario. The four-part plan includes investing in people’s talents and skills, making the largest investment in public infrastructure in Ontario’s history, creating a dynamic, innovative environment where business thrives, and building a secure retirement savings plan.

Quick Facts

If current collision trends continue, fatalities from distracted driving may exceed those from drinking and driving by 2016.

According to recent statistics, over 45 per cent of drivers killed in Ontario were found to have drugs or a combination of drugs and alcohol in their system.

Pedestrians represent about one in five motor vehicle-related fatalities on Ontario roads — 46 per cent of which occurred at intersections.